CET, JEE twist to PU college

There is a pattern to the mad rush for admissions into PU colleges in the city.

Those aspiring to join Indian Institutes of Management and National Institutes of Technology in particular are hunting for colleges which offer an integrated PU course. This relatively new course combines the PU and competitive exam syllabus like the IIT-JEE and the CET.

This trend started two years ago and has caught on at several city colleges.

“We introduced this course last year to reduce the burden on students who attend these classes along with the college courses. This course ensures that students have some spare time for other activities,” said AVS Murthy, honorary secretary, RV Education Trust.

Parents and their wards are also keen on such colleges as it helps meet students’ time constraints and educational needs.

Experts,  however, feel that this trend doesn’t bode well in the long run. “Colleges are becoming exam-training centres. They don’t disseminate or create knowledge any more. Students will no longer learn a lesson or develop a curiosity about what they are taught. They will merely look at mark-scoring factors. For instance, they might skip a chapter because questions worth only two marks are expected from it in the exam,” said Gururaj Kharjagi, educationist.

Colleges conducting integrated PU courses have entrance exams to choose the cream of the lot. Most institutions have separate batches for students opting for AIEEE/IIT and CET. “We have separate batches for CET and IIT-JEE aspirants who are trained by special faculty hired for the purpose,” said Sukanya Chattopadhyay, principal, Adarsha PU College.

Colleges have tied-up with educational training companies to conduct integrated programmes. “We have tied-up with a few colleges like Jain College, RV PU College and KLE College to provide curriculum and faculty support to conduct integrated coaching programmes,” said Purushotham BG, head of planning, BASE.